Anybody who has ever bought (or even thought about buying) a water filter for their kitchen faucet knows it can be a challenging proposition. Some might say it’s almost easier to buy a water filter for the backcountry than it is for your own home, with the word on the street often being that many of them simply don’t do anything worthwhile. Not the LifeStraw Home, which launched on Kickstarter this week and promises to bring the reliable water-filtering performance of LifeStraw’s most popular products to your kitchen.
Most home water filter pitchers remove contaminants from your water supply, reduce chlorine, and if you have particularly hard water, can help how much calcium floats around in there. The result is clearer, crisper tasting water that – even if not actually any healthier for you – is a lot more satisfying to guzzle down, without the stale flavor that often defines tap water.
But LifeStraw, known for their convenient, affordable and long-lasting water filtration units, takes this to another level with the Home. In addition to the activated carbon filter found in most water filters for eliminating chlorine and funky tastes, the LifeStraw Home also has a Membrane MicroFilter, with a filter size of .02 microns, removing 99.99% percent of bacteria, viruses and protozoa. There’s also an Ion Exchange Filter, which helps reduce levels of Lead, Mercury, Chromium III, and Cadmium.
If you live virtually anywhere in America, Canada or Europe, you likely will not need that kind of filtration for your tap water; almost all tap water is safe to drink. But it can be reassuring to know you’re removing a significant amount of anything there might still be floating around.
It could also come in quite handy if you’re traveling abroad to locales where the drinking water is of questionable quality, or even if you’re getting off grid for a while. The MicroFilter will last about 264 gallons while the Carbon and Ion filter will need to be replaced more often – about every 40 gallons.
The LifeStraw Home starts at $50 on Kickstarter, and they’re only halfway to their goal – why not go help them out?
